Ireland Votes!

Today is referendum day! Ireland votes today on whether or not to amend the constitution with regard to marriage and the age of presidential candidates. We (and every other household) got this through our mail slot a few weeks ago:

It is in Irish and English and is quite well done.

I like how they tell you what the current situation is and what the situation will be if the measure passes. It reminds me of the excellent material we used to get from Oregon a couple of weeks before we would get our ballot. Oregon is a vote-by-mail state, so everything would come right to the mail slot.

Of course the marriage equality measure is getting far more coverage than the age of presidential candidates and people seem to be really engaged with the issue. The anti-equality folks, having no logical arguments to fall back on, have plastered many towns with posters about things like surrogacy. When I first saw these I thought I'd missed something and I asked Bill if they were voting on surrogacy issues as well! Then I realized that they were so lacking in valid reasons to oppose equal rights that they were trying to muddy the waters--LOL. For the record, surrogacy is unregulated here and is a matter for the legislators to decide, according to the courts. And of course you get the same old tired arguments about how the religious views of some should be forced upon everyone and the totally ignorant and unfactual claim that marriage has "always" been this way. Marriage has NEVER been any one way. It has been different across time and across cultures and any cursory glance at the real world shows us this. However, coming from the US where interactions with the real world are few and far between for a large segment of the population, this is not new to me.

Irish citizens who live abroad apparently are not eligible to vote from where they are, so there has been a campaign to get them to come home and cast their vote. It appears that many people are doing this! 

We were going out the other day and the young man who lives next door came out to chat. He said, "Big vote in a couple of days. For equality." I was delighted to hear that and to hear that he'd been talking with his mates about it. I told him how I had felt a few years ago when I got to vote in favor of civil rights (which in my opinion should not have to be voted on) in Maine, if only at the state level. We parted in agreement that we all had our fingers crossed for the yes side to prevail, but we won't know until tomorrow.

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Foggy and Rainy Day in May

We made our last trip from Ballinrobe to Killybegs a couple of weeks ago and have been settling in. We have not had much of a chance to get out and explore, since Bill still does not have the stamina he normally does. I also did not realize how tired I was--a few days after our arrival I went upstairs after supper thinking I would just lay on the bed and enjoy the view for a while. It was around 6 pm. I was melting into the bed, looking at the way the light was changing over the water and the hills beyond, noticing that there were sheep in a field, and thinking that I had not felt so relaxed in a long time. I thought about how great it was that I had nothing to pack, plan, or organize and I did not have to get up and out to catch a bus in the morning. I decided that perhaps I would change and crawl under the covers for a while, so by 6:45 I was comfortably snuggled under my wool blankets. Then I slept. The next thing I knew it was a couple of hours later and Bill had come up. I mumbled a few sentences to him and then I slept. At midnight I woke up feeling a bit dizzy, so I got up, made my way downstairs, and ate some yogurt before going back up to bed. Then I slept. At 9 am I woke up again and decided I had better get up. I'd slept for the better part of 14 hours! Guess I was really, really tired! In any case, we have stuff put away and are slowly stocking the freezer--a little bit at a time. We got our internet connection yesterday.We are becoming accustomed to our new normal.

Today we went out to make a few copies and drop something in the mail. There was a misty rain falling and it's foggy out there. One woman commented that, "It's really closed in today." Bill wasn't too thrilled about wandering around town in the rain, but I quite enjoyed it.

On our way out the door, I looked out the window:

The flowers really pop on days like this--both wild and in the planters.

Coming up on the harbour on the way into town:

We went to the tourist office, which is the only place in town to make copies since the library closed and we found a couple of books there that the woman at the B&B had told us about, so we bought them.

When we left, we saw boats of all sizes are anchored at the harbour:

 I stopped to look at the way the fog softened the landscape in the distance:

Bill stopped to take some photos in spite of the misty rain:

A bird dropped something near the post office:

After we mailed our paperwork we headed toward home:

Now our errands are done and it's a nice afternoon for tea, yarn, and reading. It has been a pleasant day so far here in Killybegs and I hope it's the same wherever you find yourself today!

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The Sky from the Other Kitchen Window

Last night I was making tea and looking out the kitchen window at the sky. I seem to spend a fair bit of time looking out of kitchen windows!

The sky was particularly dramatic last night and in the time it took to make tea, it changed quite a bit.

This was what it looked like when I started:

Then this:

Finally:

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The Last Round Trip

We got back today from the last round trip between Ballinrobe and Killybegs--next week we will head north on a one-way journey.

This was our 4th week in a row of going back and forth and every time we've been up there the sun has been shining brightly and it has been quite summerlike and warm--until this week! It rained a lot of the time--mist, drizzle, lashing down--lots of different types of rain. The wind blew. I was watching the wind blow the rain across the harbour in billowing ribbons. Yesterday morning the sun came out for a while and I watched the birds flying around in the front garden while the raindrops sparkled like multi-coloured fairy lights. I seem to spend some time at the window every morning when we are there looking at the water and the birds (they love that front garden) and the plants, and the hills. I suppose the novelty will eventually wear off, but I must remind myself to try and keep my conscious appreciation alive.

We did venture out a couple of times--one stop was the charity shop where I snagged the last wool blanket. I hoped it would still be there. It was only 3 euro (the ones I bought last week were 4), but it's a little smaller. That's OK. I can still use it and who knows what I might do with it! They do seem to cry out for embellishment! We also bought some books--knowing I did not have to pack them into a suitcase and drag them around this island allowed us to browse with abandon :-)

Needless to say it was not gardening weather so the intrepid landscape artists did not do much during this time. I am sure the stuff they have already planted enjoyed the soaking they got. Pots and baskets are in place ready to bloom.
This is the view from our door when we step out back and want to head left toward the driveway:

The stone shed with the grey door is ours--we have yet to go check that out and see what is in there, if anything besides our oil (kerosene) tank.

This is the view to the right:

 There are a couple of tulips just behind the stone wall across from our door--such vivid colours!

Inside we have started to put up some of our own stuff. We can't put any new holes in the walls, but we can remove things that are already hanging and use those nails. This place has a lot of stuff already hanging and some of it we both like a lot and will leave where it is. A few things we don't care for and have taken them down. We have a bunch of little stuff that does not require nails, but we don't want to use tacks on the walls, either, so I decided to utilize some space that would otherwise have remained blank to display some stuff with no holes required!

That's the view from "my" chair in the sitting room.

We are both looking forward to getting up there and knowing that we do not have to turn around and come back in a couple of days and we will be spending the next few days tidying up odds and ends. It's a bank holiday weekend here so we will do some errands tomorrow and save the stuff we need to do at home for the weekend. For tonight though, we are just going to hang around, relax, and be happy that we do not have to get up early in the morning to catch a bus!!

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A Week and a Half (But Who's Counting?)

In a week and a half we will haul our suitcases down the stairs and walk to the square one more time to catch the bus to Galway. From there we will catch a bus to Donegal Town where we will get a bus to Killybegs. Then we will roll our suitcases one more time down the sidewalks before dragging them up the hill and into our cottage.

Before we get to that point, we need to do the whole thing this week and do it again in reverse as we return for that last load. There may be a bus strike Friday and next weekend is a bank holiday weekend, so we plan to be in Ballinrobe on those days. Including today we have 7 days left to spend here. I have already done a bunch of cleaning and we are getting some stuff taken care of now, so I am not sure there will be that much to do, but I will have my afghan in progress here to work on, my mp3 player full of music and podcasts to listen to, and my old nook is filled with plenty of reading material.

I finished the last paper book I had with me and put it in the box with the others that will be passed along to our neighbor, who will keep what she wants and pass on the rest. It will be all e-books for me for the next couple of weeks!

The load for this week is packed.

My slow cooker is in the red suitcase. When I bought it I saved the box and the styrofoam that was in it, so I put everything back the way it was and filled in empty spaces around the outside and inside the crock with thread, kitchen towels and other cushy things. Don't want to waste any space!

I will also have a tote bag that will come with me inside the bus. That will have my lunch, my nook, and some other stuff, including one of my ongoing projects, which I will be able to work on during the trip if I feel like it.

The way back will be much easier! I will leave my purple backpack up there and we will bring the suitcases back with us. We discovered last week that we can put the green one inside the red one--it just fits--and only have one to drag around.

I had been planning to buy an iron when we moved. I don't need it for clothes--I do not buy (or keep, in the case of hand-me-downs) clothes that require fussy care like ironing. But sometimes I could use one to iron a piece of fabric or some aida cloth, so I planned to buy a simple cheapo iron for that purpose--hopefully at the charity shop!  I discovered last week that there is no need! Yay!

This was sitting in the back of a cupboard in the kitchen. It must be an older model--the cord is fabric instead of plastic. There are no bells and whistles or even steam! Just a simple dial that allows you to adjust the heat based on the fabric type. I plugged it in and it does get hot, so there's that sorted. I have a cross stitch kit that I want to start soon--after hauling it around for 17 years--and before I get started I will need to iron the cloth.

I am curious to see what the ivy around our windows will look like this week.

 Last week I noticed that the leaves had gotten noticeably bigger since we'd been there the week before. Stuff is growing fast!

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Conversations

When we arrived at the cottage in Killybegs the other day and I was getting the door open, a guy appeared from somewhere and said, "Hi Shari and Bill! I'm Tim. I just wanted to say 'welcome.' I understand you don't have a car, so if you need a ride somewhere or anything else, just come and find me. I am either with Theresa or over there. I'm here until Sunday--I go between here and Belfast. I know you are in transition now and won't keep you, but I wanted to welcome you here." A while later we were going out for groceries and saw Jason, one of the guys who lives there and does a lot of the physical labour involved with the gardening--Theresa says he does the heavy lifting and she does the designing. "Hiya!" he said with a wave. From somewhere out of view we heard Theresa call out her greeting.

We got our groceries and came back. Theresa and Tim were talking to an elder guy and they introduced us to Jackie, the resident historian and philosopher. Jackie lives next door and down the hill a way from the Coast Guard station. He said to us, "I'd like to welcome you to the Coast Guard Station."

Jackie left and we chatted with Theresa and Tim. Tim said that if we have anything heavy and wanted him to, he could come drive down and help us get it up there! We'd been talking to the guy for less than 10 minutes and there he was offering to make an 8 or 9 hour round trip and help us with heavy stuff! What a nice thing to say! It seems as though we are moving into a nice little neighbourhood up there on the hill.

The next afternoon after we'd rearranged the bedroom, unpacked, and put away what we could, we headed out to do our errands. The plan was to go to the charity shop to look for a spatula, a slotted spoon, and a ladle. On the way, I noticed a sign on a store that I'd not paid attention to before. There were shoes and clothes in the window so I took no notice, but this time I looked up and saw a sign that said, "household" with a photo of a bed. "Maybe they sell pillows!" I exclaimed as I crossed the street. We walked in and I asked the woman, "Do you sell bed pillows?" "What kind of pillows?" she asked. "Bed pillows," I repeated.  She laughed and put her hand on my arm. "I thought you said GOOD pillows!" she said as she headed off toward the stairs. The pillows were downstairs and as we started down, I told Bill that it smelled exactly like Nana's house when I would go down into the basement!

She showed us where the pillows were and heard someone come into the store upstairs, so she left us there. She had duvets too and we briefly discussed getting one or two, but decided against it. I like the idea of duvets, but they are too short and I always end up with my feet sticking out!

We took a couple of pillows and went upstairs to pay. She handed Bill the change and suddenly placed her hands on the pillows and had a concerned frown on her face. "Do youse have a car nearby?" she wanted to know. "No," we replied, puzzled. She was concerned about this and Bill explained that we could just carry them home as we were moving into the Coast Guard station and it was not that far. "Are you sure?" she said, uncertainly. We tried to reassure her as we took the pillows and left.

We were almost at the charity shop so on we went, carrying our new pillows. I looked around for yarn, but alas, there was none. Grabbed the kitchen utensils I needed though and then walked over to a different part of the shop. Bill spotted some cream coloured blankets folded on a chair. They looked like they had a decent wool content and we needed blankets. At 4 euro a pop, the price was right too, so I took two of them and went to pay. She threw in the utensils for free and put everything into a bag. The blankets were kind of heavy and the pillows were bulky, so I took the former and Bill took the latter and we headed home. Once there, I put the pillows in cases and examined the blankets. Turns out they are pure Irish wool. Yay! I am a big fan of wool--I think it's magical. One blanket has a small hole and one has a small tear at the end. Both issues are easily fixed and the blankets themselves are sort of a canvas. For now I will leave them as they are, but in the future, I might embellish them or use them as a backing for some stitching. Right now I am just happy that I did not buy a duvet--these are much better and bigger!!

After that was done we headed out to finish our errands. We wanted to stop at Centra (which seems to be known as "Hegarty's" to the locals so I will have to get used to calling it that) to buy something with which to make lunches for Friday's trip back to Ballinrobe. We also wanted to stop at the B&B where we'd stayed a couple of weeks before to pick up the cones of yarn the owner had kindly stored for me.

We went into Hegarty's and picked up some smoked salmon and rolls--we had some cream cheese at home. We were looking at something when this guy came up to Bill and said, "You were taking it easy earlier!" Bill agreed. I saw that it was the butcher from down the street and he was talking about Bill carrying the pillows! I have to chuckle--it did not take long for us to be known as "those people who walk around with backpacks" here in Ballinrobe. In Killybegs we can be known as "those people who walk around carrying pillows!"

We went to pay and the very friendly and helpful guy who checked us out asked if we wanted a small knife. "No thank you," I said. "Are you sure?" he asked. I assured him that we were good and thanked him for the offer. It dawned on me that he thought we were tourists who planned to eat lunch outside somewhere. I thought it was very thoughtful of him to ask.

Last stop, B&B. We rang the bell and Gerry, one of the owners answered. We went in and he apologized, saying Patricia wasn't home but he would see if he could find the wool. There was a guest in the entryway so I explained why we were there. She perked up. "Where is this charity shop? I must stop there. I am a wool person myself!" Gerry came back and said he couldn't find it but if we came back after 6, Patricia would be home.

We went back later and he answered the door again, saying he was just thinking of us and she still wasn't back. I told him I could come back next week and he said he'd call her. I said it was no bother to come back and he shouldn't disturb her, but he said he would and went off to do that. The guest was in the sitting room so we went in and talked to her some more. I'd spotted a skein of sock yarn on the table outside and asked if it was hers and what she was making. We had a lovely conversation, Claudia from Germany and I, about socks, magic loop, wool, knitting, crocheting, and some other stuff. I kept having to switch from "yarn" to "wool." Meanwhile, Gerry came back with the yarn/wool and talked to Bill, saying we will never regret moving to Killybegs.

We bade Claudia farewell and wished her a good trip--she had decided to extend her stay for a day or two--I don't blame her! We walked home and Theresa, Tim, and Jason were out working again--they are working so hard on the gardening. There are pots all over the place and flowers in the flowers beds. It already looks nice and I bet it will be spectacular this summer! We chatted for a while and Theresa reiterated an earlier offer to drive us anywhere we needed to go, even offering to drop us off at the beach in her pjs :-) After a while Tim said, "Remember, if you need me to drive down there and help you with anything, just let me know!"

I patted Fergus, the little white elder dog, who is 12. I think of him as Superman because when I met him last week he had on a T-shirt with the Superman logo on it. We learned he is diabetic, so will not be able to spoil him with treats.

After a while we went inside and shortly after that they stopped working for the evening. Things slowed down at the Coast Guard station. I knitted for a while and then brought a book upstairs to bed. I wished we did not have to catch a bus out of town at 7:55 the next morning. In a week and a half we will get there knowing we will not have to leave again in a couple of days. I am looking forward to that!

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Another Productive Round Trip

We got back a few hours ago from another trip to Killybegs and back. We had a larger load this time--two rolling suitcases and our backpacks. One of the suitcases was a larger one and they were both heavy, containing as they did a bunch of books. As I was dragging the bigger one up the hill that is our driveway I had cause to ponder the fact that gravity and I were working at cross purposes.

We had a really pleasant trip up there--made the early bus from Galway with a couple of minutes to spare. That meant we got into Killybegs at 2:15 instead of 4:45 and that was such a treat. We got to the grocery store and back and could just settle in for the rest of the day and night. We didn't do anything else that night except hang out in our new home and it was really nice to just sit and relax. I took a shower, made some coffee, and sat reading a book I'd started and left up there the week before. It was quite relaxing.

The next morning I couldn't wait any longer to rearrange the bedroom furniture. The place has small bedrooms and comes furnished. Like most other places here, there are no closets, but wardrobes instead. These are large and take up floor space.

The spare room really has to stay as it is. It is a really funky shape with angled walls in a couple of places and hardly any room in the small section without the angles. There is a double bed in there which sits in a corner. There is possibly a foot of space between the edge of the bed on one side and the other wall.

We are using this bed as a dumping spot right now. Once all our stuff is up there we can organize this stuff and put it where it will belong. We're just not sure where it will belong yet!

This is what the rest of the room looks like. I was standing with my back against the window sill when I took the photo:

This room is perhaps 6 feet wide and possibly 10 feet long. Given the angles and the furniture, which we can't put anywhere else even if we wanted to, there isn't anything we can do here, so we will just put sheets on the bed and that will be that!

The other bedroom is a bit larger--possibly 8 by 10--and it also has an angle, a wardrobe, and a dresser. In addition to that there are two single beds and a few other things. At first we briefly thought about switching the double bed into the front bedroom and placing the other beds in the back bedroom, but we quickly realized we would never fit both beds in there. We can't take the beds apart because they are all wood slats and put together with screws and stuff. Even if we could move furniture, given the close quarters that would be tricky.

When we got there the two single beds were lengthwise along two walls with a little space in between. Because of the angle, one was more forward than the other. We turned the beds around and pushed them together.

Originally one bed was in front of that false fireplace front here the chair is and the other was in front of the radiator. Now they both face the window.

This is the view from the bed:

This is the room from the spot where the chair is:

The wardrobe was originally turned sideways, which was kind of silly--you couldn't even open the doors all the way. With everything rearranged like this, it is now a comfortable, pleasant, and functional room.

You can see the improv bed linen--we had sheets but no pillows or blankets. The couch had a couple of small blankets as covers--one on the seat and one on the back--so I put those on one of the beds and just piled shawls onto the other one.

Here is a 270 degree view of what we see from our bedroom doorway. The 4th direction is a wall.

The doorway on the right is the spare room and the middle doorway is the bathroom.

Walk past the sink and stand by the shower and you get to the little alcove with the toilet on your left.

There is a little step and the alcove has its own light switch and light. The shower is an electric shower so it heats the water as needed.

We can also use the water heater on an "as needed" basis. We've been told it can run on oil or we can just flip the electricity on for a few minutes before we will need it and we will have hot water. I wondered how well this would work, but so far so good. I plan to only use it when I need it. It's an immersion hot water heater and the water easily gets extremely and dangerously hot.

It was nice to get the bedroom arranged the way we want it. We unpacked and got some of the stuff put away with the rest out of the way on the extra bed. That left us the rest of Thursday free and it turned out to be equally productive. That's a story for tomorrow. Right now I need some coffee!!

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